Ups and downs

Published 7:00 pm, Friday, September 4, 2015

Photo: Pat Sullivan, STF

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Plastic surgeon Anthony Echo marks areas to prepare for surgery to separate Frank Reyes' hand from his abdomen at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. Reyes, whose hand was badly burned, spent three weeks with his left hand surgically tucked under a pocket of tissue in his belly to give it time to heal and form a new blood supply. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) less

(Thumbs up) Houston Methodist plastic surgeon Anthony Echo gets our Thumbs Up for his innovative spirit when it comes to hands. Echo sewed a Missouri City man's badly burned hand inside his abdomen to deliver a superior blood supply and to encourage healing. When others would have amputated, Echo instead sent a rancher back to working his cattle. Nice.

(Thumbs down) In the not-so-nice column, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz at a Greater Houston Partnership event used the tragic, senseless death of Darren Goforth to take a swipe at President Obama. "The president has a powerful bully pulpit," Cruz said. "And that bully pulpit is not used to stand with the men and women of law enforcement." Memo to political candidates: You're much more impressive when you play the "fix-it game" instead of a far-fetched "blame game."

(Thumbs up) The University of Texas this week removed the on-campus statue of Jefferson Davis despite attempts by Confederate sympathizers to block the action. If UT is looking for a replacement, we'd recommend our town's namesake, Sam Houston. The Great Man, who is only lightly honored in Austin, brought Texas into the Union before being run out of office for - what else? - opposing secession.

(Thumbs twiddled) Mayor Annise Parker's legacy will include a vastly upgraded bike trail system and modernization of parks. This will be a great weekend for riding. But when you get to the most beautiful spot in the city limits - Mason Park on Brays Bayou - don't look at the water. It is trash-infested, littered with floating debris. This City Council needs to show us innovation on cleaning up before its term expires.

(Thumbs down) Now that school's back in session, it's time for politicians to quit using fuzzy math. The mayor says it's too expensive to install signs warning motorists that texting and driving in school zones is illegal. "The city estimates the signs would cost $2.34 million, or $300 for 7,800 signs," reporter Ericka Mellon wrote in the Chronicle. But TxDOT says they should be $100 each and Austin installed them for $47 apiece. Maybe if the law were enforced, we could divert the fines to better crossings or bike lanes.

(Thumbs down) We hate to call you out, Astros fans, but our Boys of Summer deserve butts in the seats. They're in first place. They've exceeded all expectations. Yet Minute Maid seems empty in the stretch run. Memo to Jim: It would help if you'd get rid of the soggy fries, over-priced dogs and rubbery burgers. What about applying the same analytics that turned the team around to food quality? Embrace the diverse cuisine of Houston. And bring back the rainbow jersey.

(Thumbs up) The most interesting management experiment in college football is about to kick off tonight at TDECU Stadium. New UH coach Tom Herman, trying to restore relevance to the Cougar brand, is replicating the system he learned the last four years at Ohio State, winners of the 2015 National Championship game. "People can say that I'm just copying Urban Meyer," Herman told the Wall Street Journal about his previous boss. "You're damn right I'm copying Urban Meyer."

(Thumbs down) Success for Cougar athletics comes at a hefty price. The Texas Tribune reports that UH "has transferred more than $100 million from its academic side to its sports programs in recent years."